"CBF commends Virginia and localities around the state for their ongoing efforts to develop the Phase 2 Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP). This effort is unprecedented in the history of Bay restoration. We share the Governor's assessment that, while there are improvements in the Bay's fisheries resources, the Chesapeake Bay 'remains impaired.'

"For Virginia to maintain progress in restoring local rivers and streams that flow to the Chesapeake Bay, CBF contends that the state's plan must focus on specific commitments by Virginia localities. As CBF and its members engage in the public comment process, it will be critical to see sufficient details about what local governments are committed to doing to implement the necessary pollution reduction practices, how they will implement them, and when they will do so. Without clear and specific local implementation targets and strategies that are fully supported at the state level, the job of restoring Virginia waterways and the Bay simply will not get done.

"CBF applauds the McDonnell administration's commitment to continued engagement with localities, and we urge the administration to ensure Virginia's plan is more than words on paper by providing the necessary level of detail, accountability, and commitment that will lead to clean streams and a healthy Bay."